The writers of the Psalms often used literary devices to help their words linger in memory. Some New Testament writers followed similar patterns. Among these devices were alphabetical structures, sometimes described as using the A, B, and C approach. The Hebrew alphabet contains twenty-two letters, and at least nine psalms are written as acrostics, where each verse begins with successive letters of that alphabet. This pattern is not always visible in English translations, but Psalm 119 displays it clearly. It contains eight verses for each of the twenty-two Hebrew letters, beginning with Aleph and ending with Tau. Other acrostic psalms include Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, and 145. These carefully arranged compositions served as both teaching tools and memory aids. I find it impressive that ancient writers created such ordered beauty without the benefit of modern word processors. My own grocery lists rarely display that level of organization.
By the first and second centuries before Christ, Jewish scholars had noted that the number twenty-two held special significance beyond its connection to the Hebrew alphabet. It represented the generations from Adam to Jacob, the works of creation, and the number of books in the Hebrew Scriptures. Psalm 111 provides a fascinating example of this structure. It begins with the familiar Hebrew word Hallelujah, meaning “Praise the Lord,” and then presents twenty-two reasons for praise. Each phrase begins with the next letter of the alphabet in order, moving from Aleph to Tau. The psalm praises God for His works, majesty, kindness, provision, wisdom, glory, honor, and guidance. The message is clear: we praise the Lord from beginning to end, from A to Z. Such structured praise reminds us that gratitude toward God is not confined to isolated moments but can encompass every aspect of life. I must admit that my own expressions of praise sometimes arrive less like a carefully composed acrostic and more like scattered notes on a napkin.
The New Testament brings this alphabet of praise into sharper focus through Jesus Christ. When He declared Himself “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 22:13), He identified Himself as the beginning and the end of all things. This figure of speech, known as a merism, expresses totality. Just as the phrase “heaven and earth” in Genesis refers to everything that exists, so Christ’s claim encompasses all of time and creation. The apostle Paul wrote that in Christ “all things were created” and that in Him “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16–17). From the first letter to the last, from creation to redemption, Jesus stands at the center of God’s story, giving reason for praise that stretches across every chapter of our lives.